Wheeling CVB Signs Construction Contract For Phase 1 Of Gateway Center
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The next steps in the construction of the new Wheeling Gateway Center are ready to go after the Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau and Stonemile Group agreed to the construction contract for the first two base bids for the project.
The two sides announced the deal Tuesday afternoon. Negotiations began May 11 and were finalized at the publicly unsealed value of $15.8 million.
"We're proud to be partnering with numerous local companies that will perform a large majority of the scope of work on this project utilizing local tradesmen," said Stonemile President Greg Kittridge. "Recognizing the importance of engaging local skilled craftsmen is essential to the community. Stonemile is committed to all stakeholders on the project, as well as the whole Ohio Valley community in making this effort the company's top priority. We are very excited about the opportunity and look forward to being a part of an amazing project that all generations can look forward to for many years to come."
The two bid packages will include a new trail connector linking the Wheeling Suspension Bridge to the Wheeling Heritage Trail. The project will include hillside and site stabilization required to support the building, as well as the full core and shell of the Gateway Center. When that phase is complete, the building will stand fully enclosed on the site.
The schedule is expected to run 16 months, with work beginning along the waterfront and trail connector, then continuing up the base of the hillside.
"There's still more work ahead to finish the full project, but today we can say the most important first piece is under contract, and that is real progress for our community," Wheeling CVB Executive Director Frank O'Brien said.
The Gateway Center will serve as the home of the Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau. It is located at 949 Main St., the former site of the Wheeling Inn – which was demolished after the property was purchased by the city of Wheeling. It’s location will incorporate the Suspension Bridge, which has been closed to vehicle traffic but remains available to pedestrians going to and from Wheeling Island.
O’Brien said being able to include the bridge in the overall plans of the Gateway Center has been a priority for the CVB from the start.
"The Suspension Bridge is part of who we are,” O’Brien said. “It was the original Gateway to the West, and people here have wanted to reconnect it to the river and the trail for a long time. Signing this contract means that connection is finally going to get built, and we're going to have a real, enclosed visitors and heritage center standing there. That matters to a lot of us.”
An official groundbreaking ceremony will be announced at a later date.
“Getting the trail connector and the building enclosure under contract is a big step, but the work isn't finished,” said Wheeling Heritage Executive Director Scott Schenerlein. “We're continuing to raise funds for the heritage experience that will go inside -- the part that will tell Wheeling's story in a meaningful way. We'll have more to share about that experience after the groundbreaking, and this historic moment marks the collective renewed commitment to seeing this once-in-a-generation project through completion."